Early Henson Muppets Wilkens Coffee commercials

[Earth 2 Chris]

This may be old news to many of you, but I just learned about these through two separate sources: MeTV's Collector's Call TV series, and YouTube series' Defunctland's series on Jim Henson. I found a compilation on YouTube and laughed so hard, I cried. Murderous, sadistic muppets, maiming and killing over coffee preferences. I love it!

The first part of the Defunctland series:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVoGf1JTVeI

Chris

[LonnieFisher]

Those are awesome!

[Makernaut]

I got really interested in Muppet History (in general) a few years back when Jimmy Fallon and NBC highlighted the pipes that the Muppet Team painted in NBC Studios back in 1964. https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/NBC_Pipes It never dawned on me that the Muppets existed before Sesame Street, I guess, so that led me to digging around and that's how I learned a little bit about the Wilkins Coffee ads. https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Wilkins_Coffee

When I got into watching "Mad Men" about every day, there was an episode where Draper makes an offhanded remark to the Martinson Coffee people about using puppets in an attempt to reach younger people. I figured that was a reference to the Muppets and Wilkins Coffee, but it was more specific:

In 1958 a young Jim Henson created a series of short, weirdly violent commercials for the Washington D.C. coffeemakers Wilkins Coffee, concepts which he revamped and sold to local coffee merchants in other markets, including Martinson in New York.

https://tv.avclub.com/mad-men-the-go...lin-1798204907

All in all, a really cool part of Television History that makes me sad for how bland things are today and how the regional peculiarities of that time have given way to one big "blah" from coast to coast.

[Earth 2 Chris]

^Cool, I didn't know about the Mad Men thing at all. There are later, color versions of these same skits promoting a different coffee on YouTube as well.

Chris

[Makernaut]

It cracks me up how violent those are and how the "hero" (Wilkins) is actually a sociopath. Poor little Wontkins' only crime is that he doesn't care for the coffee. Things you only notice as an adult.

[jwyblejr]

When you watch these and then watch the skits they redid of these on The Muppet Show,the skits on The Muppet Show make more sense afterwards.

[Werewolf]

Those are actually kind of disturbing.

[Earth 2 Chris]

^I always enjoyed the "edgier" side of the Muppets, as long as they don't skid too far into it. So these appeal to me. I'm kind of twisted in that way, I guess.

Chris

[Earth 2 Chris]

Here's a few later interpretations of the skits, for Red Diamond Coffee this time, and in color!

Chris